Taken (Zero No Tsukaima) Prologue
by ranfish
Summary: This story is based off the setting and characters of the anime Zero No Tsukaima. Antoinette is the adopted daughter of a wealthy Duke, who summoned a very unlikely familiar. Antoinette, along with her best friend Louise, must face the dangers that come with having such amazing, but strange familiars.
1. Chapter 1

**Name:**Antoinette Michelle lu Trottier de la Roux

**Age:**16

**Personality:** Great perseverance, friendly, kind, hot-headed, sometimes irrational.

**Appearance: **Violet hair that reaches her abdomen in waves, brown eyes, a few inches taller than Louise, big breasts, but not as big as Siesta's, full hips, and long legs that are bare in her school uniform. Can also be described as beautiful (just like everyone else on this goddamn show)

I stopped before my new room, key in hand. To my right was Louise, doing the same thing I was. I smiled at her and she smiled back. We were lucky that our rooms were right next to each other this year I thought as I unlocked my door. I locked my door behind me and stripped down naked to quickly slip into the bath I had asked a maid to draw me earlier. The water was still steaming from gruesome war at the surface with the cold night's cold air.

A sigh escaped my lips. Louise had just finished telling Kirche and Montmerency off about summoning the greatest familiar and the whole situation was just plain stressful. The water surrounded my head as I sunk down. My violet hair strung itself in ribbon like patterns in the bath water. As her best friend of course I would pray that she'd be right, but that was like saying the moons would to collide into each other; a possibility, but highly, highly, HIGHLY unlikely. I reached the surface and inhaled the chilled air my lungs yearned for. "So troublesome." I laughed it off as I wrung the water from my hair.

Slipping into my bed still dripping wet in only a white button up and underwear wasn't the best idea, but I was so beat from the trip back here. My white blankets were as thick as my wrist, so they kept me warm. I could never get used to living a lavish life like this, even if I couldnt remember much about my childhood. If I think about it hard, I can hear strange beeping noises and something that drowns everything out like wind. But I can also count on a sharp headache striking the back of my head.

The furthest I could remember was my father figure who took me into his home, which wasn't much. We were always poor and it only made it worse since he had been an alcoholic since the day I met him. My father was stripped of his Aristocratic title, so he had some magic, but he was never good at it from the start.

When I turned eight, he sold me to a strange man for a small amount of money. When he began to pull my hair and drag me to his house, I put up a fight biting his arms and kicking whatever my little legs could reach. As if some odd act of cruel fate, the princess was in town with the queen on business when this was happening and ran to help me. The man hit the princess for getting in the way and her guards killed him on the spot. Despite the queens uncertainty, she nodded at the request from the princess to take me back to the palace.

I lived in the palace as a personal maid for the princess until I turned twelve, when her highness had let me know one of her uncles, a duke, was looking to adopt a girl. Although I knew it was because a rumor began to circulate that the royal families were taking in Plebeians to be slaves, and also my not so little spat with the princess.

The wealthy Duke and his wife adopted me, and it was okay. The wife acted like my mother and the Duke treated me kindly. The queen had told me that the Duke's wife couldn't bear a child and longed for the company of a baby girl. The Duke, being absolutely head over heels for his wife, adopted me for the sake of her. I proudly took the name Antoinette Michelle lu Trottier de la Roux.

When I turned fourteen and could talk without crying, I told them about my past and my father. When they learned he was an Aristocrat, the Duke asked me to chant a spell using his wand. But before I could tell him that he wasn't my real father, I had his wand in my hand and an apple on the table in front of me. I couldn't turn it blue like he encouraged me to, instead I turned my hair purple. I cried when that happened tugging on my hair and hitting my head with the wand to turn my hair back to its original black, but it wouldn't work. The Duke however, refused to change it back to my natural black, he said that it was brilliant and I had looked even more like I was actually their genetic daughter since the Duchess had violet hair.

The following days after, there was some serious father-daughter bonding. It was the first time I wandered in the city in years, and this time I wasn't here to beg. The Duke bought me a wand and a set of precise looking bottles for potions. When I returned to the house, training started. I didn't seem to have an element I had failed many times on the spells, and was about to give up and went to town to run a few errands for the Duchess while she was ill.

On my way back, I passed by a bar, where a dirty man with long greasy hair hung around. His face was sweaty and pasty with a sickly yellow tint. He swished around the liquids contained in a large brown bottle he held. My breath caught when I recognized the stranger. My body quivered greatly even though the air was strangely warm. I gulped and passed by the dazed man.

"'Ey, you!"

I froze. Slowly, I turned my head to the side where I could peek at him through strands of my hair, a color he couldn't recognize.

"Got any change for a disabled man?" He asked with sad glazed eyes.

I gulped. My fingers trembled as I reached in my skirts, not sure weather to pull out my two extra gold pieces or my wand. This man had sold me. He was going to let that stranger rape me. My lip quivered as I gripped the wand in my fist so tight my fingernails dug into my palm.

I was only eight.

My vision became blurry and my throat heavy as I released it and threw the coins in his direction. I ran all the way home, hot tears and snot rushing down my face.

I quickly ran up the stairs of my room, jumped on my bed and cried into the pillow. I stayed up all night weeping. I wasn't able to fall asleep because my whole body shook and convulsed between sobs every time I even attempted sleep. The Duchess knocked on my door, probably to check and see if I was okay, but I didn't want to see anyone. Instead, I curled up in a ball and let myself drown in my own sorrowful tears.

The next day was so bright and cheery, it was as if our creator evened out yesterday's awful day with an amazing one. It took a few hours to get to where the Duke had prepared a surprise for me by a carriage. We arrived at a large tower surrounded by huge walls and smaller, chubbier towers. My mouth hung open in awe as I gaped at the school. "I can really, truly come her?" I asked.

The Duke nodded. "Yes, when you turn fifteen this year. As long as you promise to keep your points up and don't cause any disturbances."

I nodded eagerly. "I won't, I swear." I said with a grin and continued to gaze out the carriage window in a daze.

After seven months passed. I was so thrilled when the mail carrier delivered a letter addressed to me. I cracked the wax sealing the envelope and pulled my letter out. I scanned through the words quickly, the words which at most acknowledged my existence were so beautiful, I floated to space.

I informed the Duke and Duchess about the letter and they were almost excited as me. My first year would start in one month, so we were busy as ever. It was the first time that I'd ever be living on my own, and when the Duke mentioned his worry of perverted boys, I blushed deep red. I have never really had a conversation with a boy my age, and now I was expected to live with them! The whole thing was ludicrous.

The days passed quickly and it was finally time for me to leave. The Duchess held me for a long time and cried, telling me how much she would miss me and how much she loved me, and that I was a blessing. When she finally let go, I had tears running down my face from her kind words. I sucked them up and prepared for the Duke to shake my hand. When he pulled me in for a hug, my eyes widened. Never had he touched me like this, an occasional reassuring pat on the shoulder, but this hug, it was strangely comfortable. I didn't realize I was crying again until the Duchess wiped my tears away. They both kissed me on my forehead one last time and I trudged into the carriage. I stared out the window until the sun blinded me and I was forced to blink. After that, the mansion was gone.

"Ho- How long do you th- th- think it'll be unt- t- until w- we g- get there." I was amazed I could choke that out.

Inside the carriage with me was a boy I had never met before. He looked somewhat older than me, he was hired by the Duke to protect me on the way to the Magic Academy. I was told he was a Line Mage and was excellent in combat.

He looked so handsome when he fluttered his eyes open, I blushed. He smiled. "Maybe a few hours. My name is Benjamin. You are Lady Antoinette, I presume?"

My stomach tossed and turned all funny. "Y- Yes." I was suddenly very focused on the hem of my skirt. This guy, even with his kind smile. He made me very uneasy.

The carriage ride was too long for comfort. Once, we stopped so the knight could go to the restroom, and I blushed like crazy when I saw him through the window pull his zipper down next to a bush. I covered my eyes until he stepped back inside. Luckily, there was no danger, other than when I caught my guard picking his ear and shook my hand goodbye with the same hand. I stood there in shock as he boarded back the carriage and it disappeared from my sight, as did my excitement to meet boys, if they were anything like him.

"Let me help you, Madame." I turned to see a girl. She had short black hair, black eyes, and was wearing a maid uniform, although she couldn't be any older than me. I nodded and she helped me pick up my trunks. They were heavy, so we had to call for a few men to assist us. I felt bad, making the workers pick up my heavy trunks and take them up the stairs. Halfway up, we ran into a teacher who levitated my trunks for us. I thanked the workers and the teacher before they left all within a few moments.

I was very shy when I attended my first class. It was very surprising that I was first to conquer all beginner spells, such as the silence spell, an empathy spell, and turn my desk red. Considering my poor results back at the mansion, I was ecstatic!

The rest if the girls hated me. I felt so embarrassed when I saw that all of the girls were wearing stockings or some kind of stockings under their skirts, while my legs were bare. Then there was this girl. She had long pink hair with messy bangs and a brown cloak like me and the rest if the first years. She constantly wore a scowl because she was never successful in magic. I was once caught in the crossfire when she mixed a potion wrong. It had burned my hand and I couldn't move it for a week.

On my third sick day while I was healing, the girl came in my room and introduced herself. "I'm very sorry with what my carelessness with magic has cost you. Here." She shoved a basket in my face.

Hesitantly, I accepted it. There were a number of cakes and sweets in the box. I smiled. "Thank you, but, it's fine. It was a common mistake, it was my fault for peering. I'm sorry, but I wanted to see if I could help you so you wouldn't get laughed at again. I can tell you don't like it, and I wanted to help you prove to everyone that you might excel in other subjects. I guess I didn't see you toss in the snake venom. My name is Antoinette Michelle lu Trottier de la Roux." I felt stupid for saying my entire name.

She looked back at me, her face shocked and matching her hair color. She pursed her lips. "I am Louise Francois lu Blanc de la Valliere. Thank you for, being kind to me."

It went without saying; we became best friends. Because when someone spills acid in you and they bring you sweets in a pretty basket, how can you reject them?

Our first year was filled with explosions, yelling, and punishments, majority because Louise's spells gone wrong. I was excelling in the top ten of the first year class while Louise was vaguely in the bottom. I would be questioned by our classmates or anyone that knew of mine and Louise's friendship on why I hung out with "That Zero Louise," but I ignored them, or simply replied "She's not a Zero." Louise on the other hand would go on ranting on how she'd figure out the spell soon then cast it better than anyone else ever had. It was alway troublesome then, like how it troublesome now.

We haven't changed a bit.

Louise had just promised to summon the greatest familiar that will put everyone else's to shame tomorrow, and I cheer her on, even though I already have a vague idea of the outcome.

My headache subdued and I pulled the covers over my shivering body and slowly drifted off to sleep. Just before my eyes shut, I had a sudden thought, something I haven't even put an ounce of thought in.

**What would my familiar be?**


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, there was a sharp ringing in my head and my eyes were sealed together with sick people crust. I reluctantly sat up. "Ugh," I groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have taken that bath so late." I said to myself as I wiped the crust from my eyes.

While I was going through my fourth marathon of sneezes, Louise marched in.

"Hey it's time to meet in the field, oh wow! You look awful!" She yelled.

Six in a row, all-time record. I wiped my wet nose. "Tell me something I don't know. I'm gonna miss class today." I said then rolled back on my side under the blankets.

Louise immediately peeled them back off of me. "Antoinette, today's an important day that's going to affect the rest of your life, you have to be there! And I have to summon the greatest familiar in history today or else Kirche wins! You have to be there!"

Her pleas faded in my head until I could no longer hear her as I drifted off to sleep once again.

...

"Why did I get stuck with such a useless familiar!"

I gasped and quickly sat up. I turned to see Louise who had practically kicked the door down in her steaming rage. She plopped down on my bed hard. I rubbed my eyes and was relieved that I did feel better than earlier. "Louise? What happened? You summoned something? Oh, good job Louise!" I clapped my hands ecstatically.

She grunted and pointed her nose in the air with her face all tightened up in an annoyed way. "I would have rather summon nothing than that stupid dog!" She pointed to the doorway.

I leaned forward, looking for the creature. "A dog?" I asked curiously.

She scowled and face turned red. "Get in here Dog!" She screamed in her tantrum voice.

The pitter patter of feet edged it's way closer to my door, but when I blinked when I saw a pair of human feet. "Eh?" My eyes made it's way up the creature to see it was in fact a human. A boy who wore strange clothes with black, blue, and white colors. He had on the same expression of disgust as Louise. "Hey, I told you not to call me that!" He yelled back.

"You see! It won't stop complaining!" She fell back on my bed. "It even tried to run away last night."

My jaw dropped. "You mean I slept through a whole day!"

Louise had that angry look on her face with the twitching mouth. "That's what you're concerned about?!"

Her yell blew my hair away, but it didn't faze me. "Yes." I blinked.

She gritted her teeth. "I had notified the nurse that you were sick and she came up to give you a potion."

I tapped my bottom lip with my index finger. "Oh, well maybe this was a side-effect."

She deflated onto my blankets. "Hey, Antoinette, I sure could've used you help last night." She mumbled through the pillow.

"Sorry sorry, but I was a little preoccupied with dying." I said with a bright smile on my face. I lifted the blankets off of me and stood up. "You're her Familiar?" I asked, eying his body in circles, looking for some type of tail, fin, or wings.

His face turned red before he cleared his throat gazed off in another direction. "Well, I don't really know what that is, but coming here was as accident." He laughed nervously while scratching his head.

"I've never heard of a Plebeian becoming a familiar." I said.

"Antoinette!" Louise yelled.

I turned to her and placed my hands on my hips. "What is it?"

She sat there with her mouth wide open and her eyes in big circles as her finger pointed to me. I looked down. I was still wearing only a button up with clearly visible green and white striped panties on. A sweat drop dripped down the side if my bangs while my face slowly turned red. I exploded like a volcano, letting out a loud scream. "Don't look!" I yelled and kneed the blushing boy in the stomach. The impact was so hard he slammed against the wall outside and fell with a thud. I slammed the door hard, a burning blush spreading all over my entire body. I pressed my index fingers together. "Oh man oh man, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your familiar Louise." I ran to pick a clean black skirt from my drawer.

She scoffed. "How could I ever be embarrassed in front of such a lowly creature."

I was already tucking my shirt into my skirt. "Oh, well still, you have to live with each other." I said cautiously.

"Hmpf!" She scoffed again. Her face turned into a curious expression. It was really cute, compared to her killing spree face which she had worn since she so rudely woke me. "Speaking of which, when are you going to summon your familiar spirit?" She asked.

I clicked my shoe buckle in place. "Well, actually, I was going to go to see Mr. Colbert right now. I was wondering if you and your, er, familiar could come with me, if you don't mind." I clasped my cloak over my chest and fixed the golden ball with the symbol of a pentagram, trying to make the strings even.

She frowned at the word "familiar." "Fine, I hope you summon a more intelligent familiar than I." She said and opened the door to find Saito on his knees with his ear against where the door was. He fell on the floor face first. "We're going to see my teacher." She said and stepped over him with her hands on her hips and walked out.

I kneeled down to him and held out my hand to help him out. "She means well, er, sorry, I didn't get your name."

He took it and let me help him up. "My name is Hiraga Saito."

I still held his hand in both of mine. "It's nice to meet you, Hira Gasai To. My name is Antoinette de la Roux. Please take care of Louise. She is my dearest friend."

He had a surprised look on his face that that turned into a confident smile. "You can count on me, m'lady."

I had a stupid look on my face and a sweat drop down my hair. "Eh? What's with that sly look?"

He held up his hands defensively. "Sorry sorry, oh, the teacher is waiting for us, shall we go?" He didn't wait for me to answer, instead he scurried out of the room toward Louise.

My mind was full of question marks. I shut my door and ran after them.

It felt awkward with Louise's familiar walking behind us. "Um, so, Hira, are you from Tristain as well?"

He had a confused look on his face. "Hira? My name is Saito." He clarified.

I blushed. "Oh, sorry Saito."

He smiled warmly. "Actually, I'm not from here. I think I'm in a different world."

"A different world? There is such a place? What is your world like?" I said excitedly.

"Forgive her Saito. Antoinette is such a nerd" Louise chirped.

I smiled. "Aren't you interested even a little?" I asked her.

She places her hands in her hips. "Actually, I'm more interested in why you don't have any stockings on. You don't think it's a bit scandalous?"

I turned red. "Well, last year I didn't know everyone else was wearing them, then all of the girls started saying I just wanted the attention, and when those girls started bullying me and telling me to put some on, but I didn't want to give them the satisfactory, so I kept my legs bare."

She glances sideways at me. "Still, even in chilly mornings like this, they're just stockings."

I sighed, bored with the conversation. "But to those girls, it'll be winning a championship. I refuse to give such snotty girls even an ounce of cheerfulness. If I could I'd feed them to the dragon I saw outside my window." I giggled. "THAT would be something to gawk at."

"You scare me sometimes, Antoinette."

"Oh, sorry." We came to a stop where all of the second years sat at tables with their familiars.

"Oh, that's right, today's our day off." Louise chirped.

"Eh?" I turned to her. "How come?"

"Were supposed to get to know our familiars." She glanced behind her at Saito. When their eyes met, she turned away quickly with a pinched look on her face with a "Hmpf!" Saito grinded his teeth together.

"Oh look, there's Mr. Colbert. Mr Colbert!" I called out and grabbed Louise's hand and ran toward him. My sole intention of pulling her away was to keep Louise and Saito from biting each others heads off.

The tall bald man turned around. "Ah, Miss Roux, Miss Valliere, how are you two today?"

We stopped in front of him in mid-run and stood straight. "Terrible." Louise said with an absent minded look.

I elbowed her in the stomach. "I'm feeling better, thank you. Actually I wanted to ask you when I could summon my familiar." I could feel the sparkles dripping from my eyes.

He looked up. "Well, I suppose we could do it right now, no sense in gathering everyone again, you can just do it right here."

"Eh?" I pressed my index fingers together with a blush. "Right here? But it's so sudden..."

Mr. Colbert turned red and had an annoyed look on his face. "Just get on with it Miss Roux."

I nodded with a "Yes sir." and pulled my wand out of my sleeve. I glanced behind me to see Louise who nodded her head assuringly. I pressed my lips together and pointed my wand high in the sky. Please, I thought, please work. I shut my eyes and began my chant:

"Oh primogenitor Burmill who guides us

Fetch me a worthy and divine familiar who will become my slave

My eminent familiar

Answer to my summoning and show yourself!"

I opened my eyes and pointed to the empty spot in front of me. An ball of light manifested at the tip of my wand, in less than a second it formed then pieces of it shot in every direction, leaving behind an explosion of thick brown smoke. I doubled over in a fit of coughing, the smoke burned my eyes and my nose as well. "Something, *cough*, went wrong! *cough cough*" I yelled out so the others could hear me. I tried to rub the stinging out of my eyes. When I opened them, the smoke was slowly beginning to evanesce. I squinted to try and make out any figure through the palpable smoke. I gasped suddenly. There, in front of me lay my sleeping familiar. It had no wings, no tail, and no fins, nor any horns. My jaw dropped to the floor. "No no, this cant be mine, I think I made a mistake."

The boy in front of me twitched, but still refused to awaken.


	3. Chapter 3

**Name:** Elliott Van Helsing

**Class:** Familiar/Vampire

**Age:** Has been roaming the earth for 65 years, physically and permenantly 20 years old

**Personality:** Cunning, as perverted as Saito, confident, foul-mouthed, sarcastic, generous, a loveable douche

**Appearance:** A muscular, thin but tall body of an 20 year old man, black messy hair, hazel eyes that turn red when thirst for blood rises, long, choppy dark brown hair that reaches above his shoulders.

The dripping water echoed in the distance. Water that I couldn't have, not that I wanted it. Water could not quench this thirst. My fever was getting worse, sweat dripped down my entire body as I stayed curled up in an impenetrable ball, shaking, my teeth chattering in a haunting metronome with the drops.

There was a creak in the distance, followed my footsteps uncaringly stomping in puddles. My eyes shot open quick like bullets. Tiny squeaks. My stomach groaned in agony. I found enough strength to crawl to the edge if my iron cell. I gripped the cold, rusty bars, anxiously awaiting my less than satisfactory supper. A smile spread across my face when the guard stopped at my cell window. I laughed weakly. "Why must you tantalize me, Sir?"

The man ignored my words and shoved a rat the size of my fist through the floor window. I snatched it quickly before it had the chance to scurry and bent it's neck to the side. When I heard a final squeak then a snap, I felt my fangs elongate and I sunk them into the rats body. They throbbed in a pain that slowly disappeared as I sucked the life from the small creature. I moaned as the sinful liquid slid down my throat.

I tossed the drained rat over my shoulder and ran my tongue over my greedy teeth.

I groaned and fell back hard in the cement floor. My stomach grumbled in agony. The pain wasn't as bad as a few minutes ago, but I was still not even close to satisfied. Constantly being starved is a lot worse than it sounds. But it had to be this way, if we were well fed, then we could overthrow the guards easily and escape.

I was curling up in my corner again, trying to find some warmth, when a ray of light appeared from behind me. I sat up abruptly, my mouth wide open. In front of me resided a levitating green orb that illuminated the entire room.

"Um, hello?" I called out stupidly.

I pushed down against my knee and stood up. I pressed my lips together and slowly edged toward it. Enticed with the orb, I ran my fingers through it. The light was unexpectedly cold and thick like water. Mesmerized, I stuck my whole hand in the orb. Without warning, the it opened up and latched onto me like a leech. Taken aghast, I jumped back, but it refused to let go. The slippery wet floor caused me to slip and the light pulled me in with a swift motion. The light disappeared and a dark sky enveloped me. The air was freezing, but that was the last thing on my mind.

_"Answer to thy summoning and show thy self!"_

"What is this!" I called out. As if on cue, a bright light shined not far away. "Shit," I gasped and tried to turn away. "I'm not ready to die!" I yelled as the brilliant light spirited me away.

…

Antoinette's POV

My jaw dropped to the floor. "No no, this can't be mine, I think I made a mistake."

The boy in front of me twitched, but still refused to awaken.

I grudgingly turned to Mr. Colbert with a squeamish look on my face. "Mr. Colbert, please, this is a misunderstanding. Let me summon again."

After he recovered from a coughing fit he shook his head with a stern "Absolutely not."

"Eh?! Why not!" I yelled, my eyes were daggers aimed at him.

"Because, 'this is a sacred ceremony that determines a mages life. Redoing it would be a desecration of the ceremony itself.'" She seemed to be quoted Mr. Colbert in a belittling voice that made him grumble. When she saw the confused look I gave her, she responded. "That's what he told me." Louise suddenly had a miserable look.

Mr. Colbert cleared his throat. "Even if summoning a Plebeian is rare, let alone twice in a row, I cannot allow any type of, er- redo."

I clenched my wand and looked behind me angrily. The snoring boys eyes popped open then squinted against the suns harsh light. He sat up and stretched his arms. After he rubbed his eyes, he stood and dusted himself off nonchalantly. "Huh?" He scratched his head. "I thought I died, where am I?"

"Mr. Colbert!" I groaned.

Mr. Colbert's eyebrow twitched. "Miss Roux, if you don't finish the Contract Servant, you'll be looking forward to a meeting with the Headmaster. Now get on with it!"

I turned to the boy and sighed. He gave me an uncertain expression. "What? Who are you?"

I bit my bottom lip and pointed my wand to the center of his forehead. "My name is Antoinette Michelle lu Trottier de la Roux." I lowered my wand. "Pentagon that governs the five powers, give this person your blessing and make it my familiar spirit." He was tall, this would be a problem. "Uh, c- could you squat down… please?" I whispered.

"Huh? Like this?" He bent his knees and slouched until he was my height.

"Th- Thank you." I pressed my hands against the side of his face and slowly leaned toward him. The last thing I saw were his eyes going big before I closed my mine and felt my lips touch his. I held it there for a few seconds and began to pull away, when I felt his hand holding the back of my head. I opened my eyes wide and placed my hands in his chest, about to push him away. At that moment, his tongue slithered into my mouth like a serpent. I screamed and pushed hard against him. He removed himself from me with no problem, when I began yelling. "How dare you! You- Y- Y- You vulgar mutt!" I pointed my wand at him threateningly.

He wasn't afraid to yell back. "What the hell? You kissed me first! I was just trying to finish the job!"

"'Finish the job?!' You pervert!"

"Don't be such a cocktease then if you don't— ow! Dammit, what is this?" He winced and pulled out his shirt from his loose collar and out floated a small steam.

"The familiar spirit rune is being carved into your body. It might be a little painful—" I was cut off by his blood curdling scream. He clasped his hand over his chest where his rune glowed brilliantly. He fell to his hands and knees breathing heavily.

"It appears that the ritual carried out fine. I'll leave it to you then to begin building a relationship with your familiar, Miss Roux."

"Eh? How can I build a relationship with this dirty pervert!" I yelled, but Mr. Colbert was already walking away. He wanted nothing to do with this situation almost as much as I did.

I sighed. "Hey Louise, where's Saito?"

Her face turned white. "Oh that stupid dog is probably getting into more trouble! I'll see you later Antoinette." She waved and walked off to search for her "dog."

I gulped and turned to my own unwanted familiar who had already recovered and was poking at his rune. "Come." I said quickly and rushed to my room.

His steps echoed mine. "So are you going to tell me what this place is?"

"This is the Magic Academy of Tristain. It seems as though I've summoned you, a Plebeian, to become my familiar."

"You're a Mage? I've heard of your kind. So then that means I'm that little creature you take around with you everywhere?"

I stopped in front of the entrance to a tower and looked up at him. "I like your definition of little." I pulled open the door that led to the stairs. I was up about six steps when I turned back around. Just outside the tower stood my familiar, smiling up at me stupidly. "Well?" I asked annoyed.

He shrugged.

I twitched.

"Getin here!"I screamed like a banshee.

He nodded, still wearing that stupid grin and climbed up after me.

"What's your name, Human?" Although I didn't mean to, I spat the words at him. I was beginning to sound more like Louise by the second, and I didn't like it.

He had a bewildered look on his face as he pointed to himself. "Me? Human?"

I gave him an absent-minded look. "No, the guy behind you. Yes you!"

He suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

I jumped back. "What the heck's so funny?" This man was nuts!

He cleared his throat. "I haven't been called one of those in a while. My name is Elliott, and I am not a human." He chuckled.

"Oh? Then what are you?" The conversation became more and more dull the higher we trudged up the stairs. Well I trudged. He was practically skipping.

"Well, I'm a vampire. I sort of thought it was obvious with the fangs and all."

It didn't faze me. "I don't believe you." I said as we entered the hallway with our dorms.

He froze, a vein in his forehead began to throb. "Hey, what do you mean you don't believe me! The evidence is right here in my mouth!"

I pulled my key from my sleeve. "How could such a ridiculous thing exist?" I shoved the tip in the key hole and twisted it until it clicked.

"Ridiculous my ass! I'm here aren't I?" He sounded annoyed. "And you exist too, Miss Magic!" He grabbed my wrist and flopped it around in front of my face as if to prove my physical being.

I pulled my wrist back. "That was a rhetorical question." I muttered and pushed open my door.

…

How could she not believe I'm a Vampire! Christ, I was only putting up with her because I had no where else to go and so far, this place was more bearable than that godforsaken prison.

She set her fancy wand on a fancy desk and sat on her fancy bed with her legs crossed fancily and I took a quick peek at her fancy panties. She sighed and hung her head low, using her violet hair as a curtain. "Well it seems that we'll be with each other for a while and I'd hate to start things on the wrong foot." She looked up at me with her big dark brown eyes. "I get the feeling that you're not from around here, so I will forgive you for portraying such lewd acts upon me." I knew she was remembering the past events because she began to blush so hard she was glowing. It made me smile that I had that effect on her. "S- So, allow me to start. I'm sorry for yelling at you and calling you a pervert. You don't have to apologize since I've already forgiven you. My name is Antoinette. Antoinette de la Roux." She smiled genuinly. She looked really cute when she wasn't scowling… at me.

"My name is Elliott. Elliott Van Helsing." I said again cautiously.

"Well, Mister Elliot, I have heard recently that you are a vampire. Would you care to explain?"

I felt my own face heat up. It's been so long since I had been next to a human, let alone a girl, what more, a pretty girl! I could feel the heat of her blood emitting from her body like an aura that would destroy her. Biting her now probably wouldn't be the best thing to do though since she had just forgiven me a few seconds ago. "Yes." My lips curled up into a smile. "Yes, I am."


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, Mister Elliot, I have heard that you are a vampire. Would you care to explain." I could feel the heat of her blood emitting from her body like an aura that would soon destroy her. Biting her now probably wouldn't be the best thing to do though since she had just forgiven me a few seconds ago. "Yes." My lips curled up into a smile. "Yes, I am."

She invited me to sit down next to her and I she sat there and she listened as I told her all about being a vampire and what I had to go through on an average day. Of course, I left out being in prison for the past six years, and it goes without saying that I also left out what I was doing before then. Instead I told her that I was forced to live with Plebeians and couldn't hunt without giving up my secret, so I was in the verge of starvation. It wasn't a complete lie.

At this, she gasped and rose up from the bed. "Oh, you poor thing, not having a decent meal in years. Feel free to find an animal in the forest later. Just, make sure they're not anyone's familiar first."

That was easy, I thought to myself. A sudden burst of cheers erupted from outside. "Huh? What was that?"

Antoinette made her way to her window and searched the grounds below. "It looks like some sort of duel." She said. She suddenly gasped. "Come on." She said and flung open the door and ran into the hallway. I chased her down the spiral staircase

…

When I leapt outside the cool breeze lifted my hair from my face. A large group surrounding three people. Elliott and I ran to the front of the group. I stopped, wide-eyed when I saw Saito, barely standing and obviously in pain, clutching his arm. He looked badly beaten up with a fat lip and bruises all over his face. Louise hurried to his side when he had fallen, she looked like she was on the verge of tears, it was so unlike her to care this much about him. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but Guiche laughed then began to speak. "Do you still feel like continuing this?" He sliced through the air with his wand made to look like a rose. A small red petal flew off and fluttered toward Saito like a butterfly. Through a glowing light, a sword as tall as Louise appeared and planted itself in the ground. "If you wish to continue, then take this sword. If you don't wish to continue, then say these words to me," He wore a conniving grin, "'I'm sorry.'" The stone at the tip of the handle caught sunlight an glistened seductively.

Saito limped toward it, only to be stopped by Louise. They argued for a little bit, then Saito went past her and retrieved the sword with one clean pull.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" I whipped my head around to see Elliott with his fist in the air, cheering Saito on. Saito took on a proper stance, then defended himself against an incoming Golem Guiche had sent. The sword sliced through it's middle like butter, and the crowd erupted in cheers. I gasped. "Yeah! Kick 'is ass!" The Vampire behind me continued to use more foul language. I watched in awe as he charged the other golems Guiche had summoned in a panic. Saito mowed over them easily and made his way to his about-to-poop-his-pants opponents then pointed the sword at him. Guiche sputtered then fell back on his butt. "I- I yield." He said reluntantly with his head hanging down.

The crowd went insane; hollering and clapping for the Plebeian. A smiled bright as his sword. "He did it!" Elliot and I both said in unison.

Saito dug the sword back into the ground, and almost immediately, seemed like he was hit with fatigue. Louise cried out when he fell on her, ordering him to get off. I smiled and ran towards her. She struggled under him. "I'm going to die! Help me!" She waved her hands frantically. Most of the crowd had already dispersed.

I grabbed her hands hands with all my strength pulled her out from under him. When I finally pulled her out, the force made me fall back and she fell on top of me.

"That's a nice image."

I looked up and Elliott looking down at us. I quickly stood up. "I just forgave you for being perverted only a few minutes ago. Don't push it." I scolded him then turned back to help Louise up. "Your familiar is really strong to beat an Aristocrat, Louise."

She blushed. "I suppose he is." She tossed a subtle glance behind me. "This is your familiar, Antoinette?"

I glanced quickly at Elliott. "Yeah, this is my familiar, Elliott. Elliott, this is my dearest friend, Louise. She also summoned a strange familiar." We all stared at the sleeping Saito.

"He sure is." Louise sighed. "Could you levitate him?" She asked me.

I nodded. I drew my wand from my sleeve and pointed it at him. I closed my eyes and felt the magic running through my entire body and shoving into my extended right hand then transferring into my wand. I began my chant. "Er. Vit. Le." I opened my eyes and saw… nothing. "Eh?" Question marks were written on my forehead with a thick red ink. "I must have not concentrated enough. Let me have another go." I imagined Saito being light as a feather, a basic step for beginners the Professors taught me last year. I said the chant a little louder. "Er. Vit. Le." I opened my eyes kept my arm strait as a board with my wand pointed at Saito. A small puff of an explosion the size of my fist appeared at his shoulder and made a poof sound.

"Ehhhhh?! Er! Vit! Le!" Another poof.

"Ervitle! Ervitle! ERVITLE!"

Poof! Poof! Poof!

I tapped my wand against my other palm. "What the heck, man? Elliott, could you carry Saito, please?" I gave him a don't-embarrass-me look.

"Yes Master." He bowed toward me with a sinister smile.

I let out a relieved sigh when he did exactly what he was told. With Saito hoisted up over his shoulder, he made his way effortlessly up the stairs in the tower where we had previously been. Louise and I trailed behind him.

"Your familiar is also strong, Antoinette." She said in a light voice.

My face heated up. "He told me he's a Vampire." I breathed.

"A Vampire? That's ludacris. They're just legend." Louise corrected me like one of our Professors.

"Yes, but, I've decided to believe him. After all, what is a Mage who cannot trust her familiar?"

"Well I don't trust that Saito one bit." She crossed her arms firmly.

I giggled at Louise's bluntness. "Oh, the door to the right of ours, Elliott."

"Yea." He said in a bored tone. He kicked the door open and literally threw Saito down on the bed.

"Gently." I sighed with my head hung.

"Thank you for bringing my familiar up to my room." Louise had her hands firmly on her hips as she made her way in front if Elliott. "May I ask you something?" It didn't sound like a question, more of a warning that she would ask a very personal question in the next two seconds.

He nodded.

"Do you honestly believe you're a Vampire?" It wasn't rare for Louise to use such an assertive tone, but in front of somebody she just met…

"Louise…" I gasped.

Elliot slowly turned his head toward me with that sinister grin he always wore. "My name has been on others tongues, has it?"

I stood up straight with a shaky body and a white face. "I- I was only telling her because she is my dearest friend." As soon as I uttered those words I bursted with echoing yell. "Hey, wait a second, I'm your master! It's none of your business what I do!"

He smiled at Louise, completely ignoring my comment. "I don't think, I know." He gave her a flashy grin, showing his teeth. We both gasped at the sight of his two canine teeth, protruding his gums longer than normal and sharpened to a fine point. "Please Master, I am very weak and I wish to feed, and at this moment, you and your friends are looking delectable."

Still in the shock of seeing his teeth for the first time, I nodded hurriedly. He smiled and made his way past me. "Thank you. Ano, please be back by sundown." I said as he opened the door.

"Yes Master." He chuckled and shut the door.

After he left, Louise had prepared some tea for us to drink while we chatted. I stared sadly at my wand. It was working fine yesterday, why couldn't I cast that spell? It was only a minor spell that I've done a million times. Maybe my wand was getting old, but I've only had it for two years.

"Antoinette?"

"Uh, yeah?" I blinked twice.

She grumbled and firmly set down her teacup, delicate, tiny, and detailed exquisitely with pink. It suited her perfectly. "I was saying that you shouldn't be so loose with your own familiar. Saying things like 'please' and 'thank you' to a servant. And drink your tea," Louise took another sip, it instantly calming her.

I bit my bottom lip. "Sorry, I was just wondering about that spell I couldn't cast earlier."

"It'll be fine, Antoinette. You're probably just still a little sick from earlier. Plus, a lot of your magic today went toward the Summoning."

Her tender smile and reassuring words made me feel guilty. I was over here complaining that my magic was in the fritz to Louise, whose magic had always been that way. "You're right." I stuck my wand in my cloak so I wouldn't have to look at it again. I picked up the precious little teacup and took a sip. "Th- Thank you… Louise."


	5. Chapter 5

"I really hope he wakes up soon. It's been, what, three days?" I said to Louise while staring sadly at the still unconscious Saito.

Louise yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Yes, but he should be fine by tomorrow after that potion I gave him. He better with how expensive one bottle was."

He did wake up, thank God. I didn't see them much the next couple days, but Louise told me yesterday in a hurry that they were going to buy a sword to protect Saito from that big pervert Kirche.

We caught up a little that night when Kirche bought Saito a real expensive sword that Louise couldn't afford. Tabitha and I watched them bicker back and forth until they left for bed.

I listened to Louise's complaints about Kirche before I bid her a good night and walked over to my room. "Elliott?" I called out as soon as I stepped in my room. I gave a sigh of relief and unclasped my cloak. He always left when it was the darkest then popped up to walk me to my classes the next day. My clothes lay tangled beneath me on my floor. "That guy…" I muttered as I pulled on my blue button up pajamas. I placed the matching sleeping cap on my head and fell face first on my bed. "Why do I get the weirdest familiar?" I muttered into my fluffy pillow.

…

The morning sunlight crept through my window and rested its rays upon my eyelids. "Hmm?" I sighed blinked my eyes open. Above me, Elliott hovered over. His knees were digging into the mattress on the sides of my legs. His right hand pressed both my wrists hard above my head on the mattress and his other hand resting lightly over my chest. He had the look on his face with wide eyes and an open mouth that screamed caught-red-handed. My face burned with anger, enough to conceal the fear and embarrassment I felt.

…

A scream pierced the air from behind the wall. Louise woke up from her nap while Saito, Kirche, and Tabitha all looked up. "Ano? That was Antoinette, right?" Kirche asked Tabitha who closed her book and nodded. Rustling sounds pounded on the walls.

When shattering glass sounded in the room, Louise stood and walked out of her room to Antoinette's with her familiar, Kirche, and Tabitha trailing close behind.

"You crazy bitch!"

"Die already!"

Louise, Kirche and Saito gasped at what they saw.

Antoinette stood over her familiar with a wooden chair that she was repeatedly hitting him with. Elliott was on one knee, his arms crossed above his head that had bruises from being repeatedly hit. The icing on the cake though, was Antoinette, still in only her blue button up and pink panties. A string of curses ran out of Elliott's mouth quicker than the chair he was being pummeled with. The chair finally broke into pieces, but Antoinette grabbed numerous vases and hurled them at him. He dodged them all, then turned to glance at the peanut gallery of Louise, Saito, Tabitha, and Kirche, and was nailed right in the face.

The impact cause him to backflip in midair, a thin ribbon of blood streaming from his nose. He landed on his feet just in time to receive one of Antoinette's kicks. "Just give me a chance to explain, dumbass!" He grunted and grabbed her foot. He pushed her foot up in the air that sent her in a backflip. She landed like a crouching cat and leapt toward Elliott with a roar fit for a lion and her fist pulled back. Elliott moved faster than light and all you could see was his fist lodged in her stomach a moment later. She inhaled deeply, fell into his arms, every sign of anger was chased away from her face and she just looked like a simple tired girl. He turned his head to address the peanut gallery, panting. "I realize that this seems inappropriate for someone to handle their master this way, but I've got it covered. You should leave."

Louise stepped in, pulled her familiar in the room by the ear as well, and slammed the door on Kirche and Tabitha. She stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Elliott. "You can understand why I wouldn't leave my friend alone with a man like you while she's in this position."

…

I jiggled the door knob and gently closed it behind me. Louise had suggested that it was probably best Antoinette wake up without me in the room, and she was right. I rubbed the back of my neck, who knew that such a skinny girl could fight with such brutality. I honestly don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to come back to the room so early in the morning, but I got tired of roaming the forests all night. I'd drank plenty, but still, I haven't had any human blood, or a woman, in more than six years.

Then again, the scent was driving me insane. Not just hers, but everyones! Everyone in this damn school has been tempting me to the fullest. I can't afford to lose it again, if I bit her, it'd be wrong. So wrong. A vampire bite changed a person. Somehow, the person becomes like a slave to the drinker, meaning every order I'd give Antoinette, she had to do it, no matter how much she didn't want to. This would wear off when the bite healed though, but when someone is bitten repeatedly, the bond becomes stronger. And I couldn't do that. I couldn't take away her freedom from her, from anyone. I knew what it was like to be robbed from something so precious.

I continued to walk until I reached the forest. It beckoned to me, reaching out to my body with branches and twigs, begging me through the howl of the winds. I sighed before letting the forest take me.

…

My body sat up quickly, panting and aching. "Ow! Christ."

"Oh? Antoinette, right?" I turned to see Louise's familiar who stood up from the floor quickly next to my bed.

I clutched my blankets. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Louise told me to wait with you here, in case you wake up."

I blinked. "Where is Louise?"

"She went to her classes this morning and hasn't come back yet." He sat back down on the floor.

"Why don't you sit on the chair-" I pointed to my desk. I blinked. In the place of the chair lay several pieces of broken wood, some parts were scattered around the room. "Eh?" I took a closer look. There was also different colored glass shattered next to the walls and a little bit in the center of the room. "What happened to my room?" My eyes were huge as I stared at the mess.

Saito scratched his head. "Oh, you don't remember? You sorta gave your familiar a beating. But you knocked out in the middle of it and now you're there."

My eyes widened. "Oh, yeah. That happened." Elliott looked scary then. I was scared out of my mind that he'd bite me and drink all of my blood. His eyes were dark red and his teeth looked more threatening than ever before. I couldn't move from under him, I knew he was strong, but that strong… I panicked and screamed for help, and he jumped off of me. When I stood, I wasn't scared, I was embarrassed and furious that I would let that happen. I bit my lip. Maybe I was a little harsh, after all he was starved for six years. "Uh, Saito, do you know where he is?"

He turned to my window. "I saw him walk into the forest that way this afternoon." He pointed to the forest. Night had already fallen? I groaned. At least the moons were full tonight.

I nodded. "Um, can you turn around?" I said, slightly embarrassed. He blushed, and did what he was told. When I was sure he was completely turned around, I leapt out of bed and reached in my drawers for a clean slip. "Um, Saito?"

"Y- Yeah?"

I buttoned all the buttons on my shirt. "Um, c- could you, ac- c- company me in the forest." The only other guy I ever had a conversation with was Elliott, and that was just a few days ago. I pulled my shirt out from my skirt.

"Uh, yeah, sure. " He cleared his throat.

I glanced at his silhouette in my window. He was attractive, and strong too. I shook my head and continued to buckle my shoes. The Duchess told me to never look at a commoner, the way I was looking at Saito now, with rosy cheeks and wide eyes. Besides, I was already engaged.

"Eh, Saito?" I folded my hands together.

He turned to me. "What is it?"

"C- Could you hand me my cloak." I pointed to where he was leaning.

"Oh, here you go." His hand brushed against mine when he gave it to me.

I flinched then quickly wrapped it around my shoulders and fastened the golden orb with the symbol of the pentagram on my chest. "Let's go."

Saito walked behind me down the stairs which were lit only by candles every few feet. I pulled out my wand and chanted a couple of words. "Er. Lair. Ec." A bright white light glowed at the tip of my wand. I smiled and gave a sigh of relief. It worked, my magic still worked.

"Oi, this one's a cute one."

I froze and turned around slowly to Saito with a red face. "What?"

He held up his hands defensively and gave a pitiful, nervous laugh. "Sorry, it was my sword, it's name is Delflinger. Del, this is Louise's friend, Antoinette." He muttered something else.

"Eh? A talking sword? How unique." I leaned toward it. "How can you talk? Are you a spirit haunting this weapon?" I felt no shame speaking directly to the sword.

It turned pink at the hilt. "It's hard to believe that such a wicked girl can have such a lovely friend."

I laughed. "Saito, your lucky to have a cool sword like this one."

"Thanks." He smiled warmly.

"Ano? Antoinette, are you feeling well?"

I blinked, behind me, Kirche and Tabitha stood. I nodded. "Yes, and sorry you had to see that earlier."

"Yeah, what was that about?"

I turned deep red and scratched the back of my head, trying to laugh it off. "Nothing! Just a misunderstanding!" I ran past her.

"Ah, Antoinette, hold on!" Saito called.

Outside was so windy, the cold bit at my skin like tiny bugs. I ran until I passed the Magic Academy's only entrance and stopped at the edge of the forest. I held my bangs out of my face and scanned the area. The trees towered over me, and threatened to swallow me whole. I sliced the air with my wand and the tip lit again like a dozen candles. "Saito?"

He had stopped behind me, panting.

I gulped. I had never been to the forest without a professor, and I'd never been this far outside at night.

Saito and I walked side by side with my arm extending my wand in the direction if our path. Our feet crushed the twigs and leaves lulling on the earth. A scurrying noise slipped next to a tree beside us. I gasped and fell backward on the floor. "Ow." I winced at a fresh wound along my calf.

Saito kneeled down next to me. "Are you okay?" He asked urgently.

He was so close, my face turned hot. "Um, yeah, just a scratch." I turned away so he couldn't see my blush.

"Antoinette?"

I blinked and turned to where the noise had come from. "Elliott? Elliott, is that you?" I held my wand out and did a 180 to find my familiar. I let out a sigh of relief. "There you are."

He began to rush to me, then stopped and stepped behind a tree he was next to. "You shouldn't be out here. Go back to your room."

I could imagine my face like I had just sucked on a lemon. "You have no right to order me around, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did this morning." I gripped my wand tighter, the light grew brighter.

Elliott clenched his fists. "For god's sake, you stupid girl! Saito, right? Take her back to the room. It's too dangerous out here!"

Saito squinted at Elliott then turned to me.

"We're right outside the Academy, Elliott, what can possibly be out here?" I asked sarcastically.

Elliott looked somewhat offended, but then grew a wicked smile. He blinked his eyes and they turned a disgusting crimson before my eyes. Slowly, he moved toward me and stopped as he bumped me with my shoulder. His moved quickly, wrapping one arm around my stomach, pinning my arms against my side, and his other strung across my chest holding firmly into my left shoulder. His fingers drag gently along my neck, making me shiver. "Me." He said with a horrible smile.

"Hey! Let go of her!"

I saw out of the corner of my eye Saito running at Elliott with his sword. His rune on his shoulder illuminated his face. Elliott smirked and pushed me down on the floor in time to dodge the otherwise lethal slice.

Saito recovered quickly and drew the sword at Elliott. The smile on Elliott's face grew wider as he charged Saito. He fended him off with his sword, but Elliott came back faster and kicked him in the stomach, sending him directly into a tree.

"Saito!" I yelled and ran over to him. He had a couple small cuts on his face and other than being unconscious, he seemed okay.

"Oh? He's down already? I really wanted to fight him some more too." Elliott said from over my shoulder disappointedly.

I stood up and clenched my fists. "Elliott, why are you doing this!"

He smiled lazily and made his way toward me with his hands in his pockets.

I took steps back, searching for my wand in my sleeves. I whipped out of my sleeve and pointed it at his chest, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled it behind my back, pushing me into the tree. I squealed in pain and felt him tear my wand from my grip then he let go of me. I spun around, but he pressed me against the tree and planted his hands beside my shoulders. I clamped my eyes shut and bit my bottom lip. It was going to end here, I was going to die here by my familiar.

I attempted to push him off of my with hands on his chest, but he was so much stronger. He slammed my hands above me into the tree trunk. I slid down with my back against the tree, helpless, knowing better than to run. "Elliott, this is an order— Don't!"

I yelped as he ran his fangs up my neck. Terror struck me. "No! No Stop! I'm- I'm not—" He had me on the floor now, crouched above me like a lion about to claw my face into shreds. My tears leaked down the sides if my face and absorbed into my hair. I held my hands folded together below my chin, praying to God that I would be saved. "I'm not ready to die yet!" I cried.

His hand moved up my chest and firmly gripped the back of my neck. His lips separated there and his warm tongue glided along the side of my throat. I tried to push him off again, "You're supposed to protect me!" I screamed, but he just scooped up my wrists and pinned them on the cold dewy grass beside my head. I pressed my lips together and let myself cry. No one would judge me if I died crying, I thought. I sucked in one last ghostly breath right before giving up.


	6. Chapter 6

A sudden chuckle lingered in the distance. It was so strange and out of place, even Elliott glanced up. My sight was upside down, but I could see a woman wearing a revealing black and purple dress. Her hair brushed her calfs and blended perfectly with the dark and eerie setting. Two long black tattoos dripped from under her eyes into a sharp point which matched my hair color. Her smile was beautiful, but crooked. "Sorry to disturb your meal, but I can't have her dead." She threw something like dried leaves in front of her and they began steam.

Elliott lifted himself up and pulled me by the wrist behind him. I gasped at this sudden protectiveness, I saw that the red in his eyes was fading and turned back to original hazel brown. I almost cried out, I was so relieved Elliott was back. I didn't have much time though, the steaming dried leaves erupted with an iridescent beams. I turned to my left where Saito stirred. "Saito!" I yelled and ran toward him. A beam of light shined a few feet from us, I was on my knees pulling Saito away from it, when a black wolf grew in it's place. It growled at me, slowly edging it's way toward me, barking. The woman laughed again. "Antoinette Michelle, I need you to come with me."

I turned to her. "What are you saying? I'm not going anywhere with you!"

She frowned and pointed her index finger at me. "Sic." She ordered and the dog leapt at me. Strong arms wrapped around me and Saito and pulled us out of the way. Elliott let us go and turned to the woman. "Your opponent is me." He said assertively.

"Oh? So now you're choosing the role of the protective Familiar? She was nothing but a meal to you only a few moments ago." Her black demon dogs prowled around us in the trees.

Saito stood up, rubbing his shoulder. "Jeez, what happened?"

I gulped, I didn't know how to explain the current situation to him right now. I wasnt even sure of what was happening.

"Your the other Mage's familiar, am I correct?" She analyzed him.

"What, you mean Louise?" He answered, she sliced the air in a downward motion at us. "Sic." She repeated in a more commanding voice.

A dog behind me rushed me, it's teeth bared. I shut my eyes and held my arms out in front of me, but felt nothing. I slowly opened my eyes to see Saito in front of me, his sword extending forward where the dog leapt at me, his rune glowing brightly.

"I don't know what the hell that thing was, but I'm guessing that lady's not on our side."

Elliott laughed. "No shit."

"But are you fast enough to defeat them all!" She took a pinch of dried leaves and threw them in the air for the wind to carry. Beams of light appeared where they lay, turning into the same beasts that attacked us earlier.

It terrified me how much she was enjoying this.

"Rip." She stated and the dogs all ran at us. I watched at Saito slashed through the beasts, but it was more chilling to watch Elliott bash their heads in with his own hands, even tearing one in half. I closed my eyes and hugged my legs tightly, waiting for the growls and whimpers to end. I felt like a defenseless child with my wand no where to be found.

"What are you afraid of?"

I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was the woman herself, holding out my wooden wand, like she had it the whole time. "Who are you!" I ordered. I was tired of playing this game.

She dropped my wand and it somehow stuck directly into the Earth. "You naive child, I am more than worthy to be called the Mind of God."

About five meters behind her, Saito was moving quicker than possible while fending off the beasts, like he was protecting something. Below him lied a lump, a long lump with messy dark hair and a tattered brown shirt with something dark spilled over his shoulder.

"Elliott!" I grabbed my wand and ran to him. "Explosion!" I pointed my wand at the sky and all of the beasts disappeared in a puff of white smoke. I fell to my knees next to Elliott and pulled him on his back to see what was wrong. His shoulder was badly bitten, blood seeped through his shirt, staining my hands. "Elliott!" I shook his chest, waiting for him to get up. He grunted, but sat up, wincing and gripping his shoulder. I heard him mutter a string of curse words in his hoarse voice. "Elliott, please don't force yourself, we have to go get help!"

Elliott stood up slowly, then sprinted at the woman. Her eyes went wide and she reached for her bag, but Elliott snatched it up before her. He swung the bag back and forth by the string used to close it. "What's a woman like you using items like these. They're dangerous, no?" She had a indifferent look on her face that twisted a little as he opened the bag and shook some of the contents into his palm.

Elliotts chest where the runes were imprinted suddenly glowed greatly. "Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "I wonder…" He muttered and squeezed the leaves tightly in his fist, then let go with the most grace. They fluttered out if his hand and glowed with a reddish tint. The same black demonic wolves appeared in front of him, but with dark red eyes and an iridescent red rune that replicated a piece of Elliotts on each of their foreheads. Even the woman wore wide eyes and sucked in a gasp. Elliott however began to smile. "I see…"

The woman took a stone from her cloak and it glowed a purple light and a large bird creature with the same runes as her appeared.

I pointed my wand directly at her. "Res. Arb. Pie. Ge." I opened my eyes to wait for the trees to close in on her bird and crush the spirit she conjured. A harmless puff of grey smoke exploded at her birds head. I gripped my wand tighter, what the hell is going on?

She let out a wild cackle directed at my poor magic and practically flew on top of the bird. "Don't worry, we'll meet again Void Mage and Familiars. Your master as well, Gandalfr." The bird took down many branches while levitating up and then zipped off toward the mountains.

Saito just stood there, he seethed his sword, but still looked lost. Elliott stared at the beasts, which now looked like lovable dogs with wagging tails and open panting mouths, with curiosity. I stared back at my wand, wondering again, what the hell was going on?

…

"There is no excuse for what I did, I don't know what happened to me back there. Actually I do, you grew a set and wouldn't leave when I told you to! B- But it's not your fault, I'm sorry."

I sat at the edge of my bed in my PJ's, which I upgraded to a button-up, a night cap, AND a pair of boys silk pajama bottoms that I had hemmed to be about the length of my skirt. I had to, with Elliott here.

A water Mage just left a minute ago after "helping" with Elliott's injury. She said his wound was made with magic she didn't know about, and could only help by tossing me a roll of bandages and giving me a bowl of warm water and a rag. Elliott had tossed in one if his hairs in the water, then smiled as if he was pleased with himself when nothing happened. I looked down at my familiar who was sitting down before me. I replaced this kind face he gave me now with the hungry one with it's teeth barred and eyes blinded by red as he forced himself upon me. I quickly stood up off the bed and sat next to him with the bowl of water on the side of me. I didn't want to look weak in from if my familiar again. "Don't let it happen again." My tone of voice felt foreign, but he nodded.

I squeezed the water from the rag and brought it to him. "Um," I blushed. "C- Could you, you know, take off your shirt." I gulped.

"Yes Master." He said with an immature grin.

I leaned toward him and held onto his okay shoulder to clean his mutilated one. When I patted the rag against his wound, I felt him wince. I pulled back quickly, then slowly, cautiously I patted the wet rag around the wounds again. He winced more, but never said anything. I smiled when I felt his body jolt again. So he was a little human after all.

After I finished wiping his back, the clear water became red and made me sick. I looked at the back at his shoulder and gasped. These weren't normal dog bites with just holes from the canines, this was every tooth, making little purple crescents on both sides of his shoulder. I tried to blink away the tears, but they still fell. He turned his head to me while I bandaged him from the back. I rubbed my eyes quickly, but I know he saw. My body broke down, he already saw this much, what was a few more moments. He turned his head back forward. "It's not your fault, so don't go thinking that." He said sensitively, so unlike his normal self.

I looped my arms under his and clenched my fists and pressed my face against his still wet back, and cried.

…

I turned my head when I heard a gasp. Antoinette had her sleeves against her eyes, wiping away what I knew were tears. Our eyes met and she looked down and began to cry harder. I turned my head back and focused in the pile of broken glass in front of me. "It's not your fault, so don't go thinking that." I advised to her.

I saw her hands appear under my arms and wrap themselves over my chest. She pulled my body against her and buried her face in my back to cry.

I lifted my hand to rub hers and began to move away, but she pulled me back.

"Please…" She had a desperate tone and I could feel her breath on my back. "You're the only one… the only one I can cry in front of… the only one… who won't judge me…"

I peeled off her arms from me and stood on my knees to face her.

She was sitting like a child with her legs tucked under her, but spread so that there was an open space in front her where she had her hand to balance herself. More tears than I thought ran down her face, cheeks and nostrils all dewy and, lip quivering as she tried to wipe some moisture in her soaked sleeves. "Please…" She gasped. "Please…"

I placed one of my arms on her back and the other behind her knees, picking her up and placed her on her bed. She still cried like a baby. I blew out the candles and stood over her. She coughed for almost a minute because she couldn't get any air, she was crying so hard. I sighed and walked to the other side where I slid in the bed with her. She had her hand covering her mouth and cried into her palm. I pulled her into my arms, one of my hands caressing her back. She got comfortable and looped her arms under mine and dug her fingernails into my back. She just needed to be held, I thought.

Just held.

"Please…" Tears just fell now, she stopped shaking and groaning like she was in pain. She spoke in delicate voice that could only belong to Antoinette. "Please… don't leave me…"

I pulled away to look at her. Her face had a faint blush, probably from how aggressive she was wiping. I softly patted her face with the blanket and I was amazed she let me. The tears stopped, but she looked too fragile, like one wrong word would send her into hysterics again.

She brought her hand up and touched my rune, tracing the figures I couldn't understand. Her forehead bumped against my chest, but she left it there. "Please don't leave me… I- I need you."

I rubbed her back and inhaled her rose scented hair. "I'll never leave you, my Mistress."

I waited until I could feel her heartbeat slow and her body went limp, indicating that she fell asleep. I kissed her forehead and let my mind drift off nowhere and everywhere. I looked down at this violet haired girl in my arms, reminding me of a certain silver haired girl. "No," I thought and squeezed Antoinette tighter. "You can't be Jaqueline. You're too much of a crybaby."


	7. Chapter 7

"Left! Right! Left! Right!" Louise yelled and pointed at Saito's feet with her wand, shaking her head every so often. He marched on the grass like an idiot with Del on his back. "No! That's all wrong you stupid dog!"

"Why am I doing this?" He yelled back at her.

Elliott and I sat there with sweat drops going down the sides of our heads.

"What are we going to do?" He was talking about the assembly during which every second-year must show off their familiar.

I shrugged and laid back on the grass. "I was thinking that you could just do one of those leafy conjure uppy thingies and make another one of those demon doggies." The sun and the moons were close today.

He leaned back, with his arms supporting him. "I don't like it, and I don't get it either." He pulled out a small brown sack from his pocket. "I didn't know what was happening, I just sort of knew what to do when this thing glowed." He pulled down his collar to show that it was glowing when he held the leaves.

I looked down his lean body. I was just noticing that my familiar dressed like the lowest peasant, a dirty and tan long sleeve shirt with a collar that had been stretched out so far, it revealed the top half of his rune. His dark brown pants looked very similar to Saito's, except they were much more tattered with dirt and tears. "Before we get into that, we should go find you some new clothes. You look like a beggar."

He nodded and we left Louise and Saito to their frustrating practice. Maybe I could find some old uniforms in the maids washroom. Some of the students here are so wasteful, they don't think twice about throwing away a shirt with a missing button.

"I've heard that familiars will sometimes gain powers when the contract is formed. Like how Saito says in his world he never held a real sword, and he was by far one of the best swordsman I've seen…" I stole a glance behind us and saw as Saito tried to chop the air with his sword, and fell forward. He looked like a child trying to use a sword twice his weight. "last night." I sighed.

Elliott laughed. "Check this out." He said and stopped our walking. I looked up at him and saw a black bat over my head with red eyes and a piece of Elliott's rune glowimg on its forehead.

"You can make different animals?"

He ignored me and kept smiling his childish grin and stared up at the other two bats in awe flying above his own head. "I wonder…" He looked at the bat flying above me and gestured toward the others. When it joined them, he cocked his head to the side. They quickly flew above us and over the wall. Elliott sat, closing his eyes and looking very concentrated.

I leaned toward him to get a better look at his face. "Elliott, what are you—" My eyes went wide when he opened his. I gasped and quickly jumped away from him.

His right eye glowed red, but not crimson like yesterday, it turned iridescent red like the bats runes in their heads. He grinned, his two pointed teeth showing a little. "I knew it!" He fell back on the grass and stretched out on the in a carefree way. "This is amazing Antoinette, I can see what they see!" He stared dreamily up at the sky. "Come back now." He muttered under his breath and a minute later, three little bats came over the wall and hovered over Elliott. He held the sack of leaves open and each bat dived in. I dropped to my knees and sat there with my jaw on the floor. Elliott tightened the strings on the brown sack. He glanced up at me, his right eye turned back to normal hazel green. "What?" He smiled cutely.

"That. You can do that."

…

"Why are we out here so early!" I groaned. "I thought you said we had a day off for the contest!" I fidgeted with the collar of the one of many hand-me-downs she had given me last night.

Antoinette elbowed my gut. "Quit complaining. It's bad enough we have to be here." She muttered.

"There it is!" Louise patted Antoinettes arm blindly and pointed excitedly at the carriage entering through the front of the school. It reminded me of a girls first time at the circus.

The carriage seemed to stop right in front of us. A fancy looking man cleared his throat then began to shout, "May I present to you, the Princess, Henrietta de Tristain!" The man that stood next to the carriage door swung the door open. The princess stepped outside gracefully and smiled to the cheering crowd. She even made me blush, she was so beautiful. Her blue eyes were like sparkling pools that matched the gems she wore.

"THAT'S the princess?" I heard Saito ask dumbly. His cheeks were tinted red as well. Louise wore a proud smile and never took her eyes off of her. Everyone, guys and girls, were gushing over her beauty and grace. Everyone except… I looked down at Antoinette who had her arms crossed on her chest and wore a stern grimace. As soon as the Princess walked inside the school doors, Antoinette spun around and walked away.

"I had no idea she was that pretty!" A girl gushed beside me gushed.

"I'll see you guys later." I said to Saito and turned to the forest. Whatever was wrong with Antoinette would work itself out I'm sure.

I came back to the room at night to find Antoinette with her cloak and shoes off and her blouse unbuttoned all the way, revealing her pale pink slip and holding a green glass bottle in one hand and an wine glass with a small saucer of crimson liquid on the bottom in the other. She sat on the floor and leaned against the bed with her cheeks red. I pried the bottle from her hands and sniffed it. My eyes went wide and I set the bottle on her new desk since she had broken the other one.

Her eyes popped open and she stared up at me. "Prince?" She asked in a confused voice.

I kneeled down to her level. "Elliott." I confirmed. "and I had no idea you were a fan of alcohol."

She pulled herself up with her hand on the bed frame then stumbled to her desk. She grabbed the bottle by the neck and filled up her wine glass to the brim. "There's a lot ya don' know 'bout me." She said and gulped down half the glass. She grunted and squinted her eyes like she drank lemon juice and walked toward me. "Like how I love wine, but only drink alone." She placed her arm around my shoulder like we were the best of pals. "There're always ceptions of course." She laughed like what she had just said was the funniest thing in the world. She wobbled off away from me. "I'm adopted. Hmm, what else?" She tapped her lip and hiccuped. "I lived a peasant life for a real long time. Ma real hair color is—" Hiccup. "is black." Another sip. "'Know that girl Tabitha? Blue hair, glasses, quiet? Yeah, I'm engaged to her cousin. And here's the big one, I hate the princess." Hiccup then a small burp. "She's a complete and utter idiot. And I hate her." She stuck her nose in her glass like she was about to fall in it. And I guess she was. She caught herself, spilling the drink a little bit.

"Oh come on, she doesn't look too bad."

I definitely shouldn't have said that

Her face tightened up as she glared at me. "SHES A FLOOZY!" She held the bottle by the neck and threw it at my head, just barely missing me and slamming against the wall, drops of wine and shards of glass shot at me.

"Hey go back, it was supposed to hit ya right in yer face." She threw her head back and finished off the last bit of wine in her glass and stumbled to the floor. "You know," she dropped her glass and let it roll on the floor. "I dunno why people fall in love. It just ends up all sad cause, y- ya meet this great person, only ta find out yooo cud never be with them. Then ya gotta go love someone else." She slumped.

She patted the spot beside her with her hand, indicating for me to sit down on the floor beside her. I did, and she rested her head on my shoulder. We stared out her window together, watching the stars brighten as one of the moons led them. "I don't want to marry him. He's six years older than me and I've never even met him, but I've been engaged to him since I was twelve." She looked like she had just watched someone die. "My parents are talking about having us meet soon. You'll come, won't you?"

Her dark eyes moved up to me, twinkling with the brightness of the moon and stars. I felt a pang of guilt, like if I said no, she'd be crushed. It looked that way. I grinned. "Yes Master."

She made a face. "You know, I really hate it when you say it all sarcastically." I laughed loud enough for someone outside to hear.

I looked down to see her smiling, her eyes glazed and her face flushed, no doubt from the wine. I felt the sudden urge to lean into her. My hand moved on the back of her head and slowly, I leaned down to her. Her hand grabbed my collar and pulled me in closer. I took a calming breath and the strong scent of wine immediately filled my lungs. I groaned like a dying animal as I pulled her hands off me. I stood and began to pace around the room, rubbing my neck in frustration.

She suddenly rose and began taking off her clothes. My face got hot and I spun around to face the wall. I heard her giggle. "Still so shy? I thought you wanted to see me like this."

I do I do, oh what the hell, I thought. Slowly I turned my head to take ag quick peek at her changing, but she was already placing her cap on her head, her pajama shirt and shorts already on. Damn, I thought. How does she change so fast?

She rubbed the back if her head and groaned. "I won't be able to sleep tonight," She crawled on top of her bed seductively. I bit my lip as her eyes shyly flickered up to me. "I'll need someone to keep me company in bed." I refrained from raising my hand while I gawked at her as she stretched her long arms, echoing muffled moans. I dropped to the floor and sat firmly with my arms and legs crossed in protest. But all she did was smile, and began to step out the door. "Sai-To!" She called out with a smile on her face. My eyes widened and I leapt up to go after her.

She swung Louise's door open and called out with a smile. "Saito!" I watched the terror in everyones face as she opened her eyes and her eyebrows drew together. Louise and the princess both sucked in their breath when the door first opened, but they still held it. "Why the hell is the princess wandering the academy so late?" Antoinette asked with her eyes analyzing her.

"Antoinette!" She gave a hurried bow to the Princess. "Forgive her your highness, it seems as though she has had a drink too many."

The princess shook her head. "Do not apologize on her behalf she can do it herself—"

"Like hell I will!" Antoinette cut her off, her face turning even more scarlett at the same time her voice rising in drunken slurs. "I don giva RATS ASS bout how royal ya're."

The princess pointed her staff at Antoinette. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be wearing the name Roux, you spoiled child. You'd still be begging off the streets."

I was taken aghast when I heard this. I looked to Antoinette who wore a sinister smile with dark circles under her twitching eyes I had just noticed, her voice now crystal clear. "You didn't make me. I made my promise to the prince, so you know where I take my leave. Don't step on foreign ground, Princess. Louise, I recommend you don't let her walk by herself tonight. The academy can be very dangerous at this time. Many accidents may occur." She spun around on her heel and stomped out the door.

I was about to follow her, when I heard Louise. "Elliott!" I turned my head. She glanced at the princess with a worried expression, then to Saito. "Your highness, I must take my leave now. Thank you for gracing me with your presence!" She quickly gave a bow and gestured for Saito and I to follow her out the door. The princess gave me a strange look, a cross between anger and pity before I stepped out the door. At the end of the hall I caught a glimpse of Antoinette pulling open the door to the staircase and running down the steps. "Ah! Antoinette!" Louise called and ran after her. "Antoinette, stop!" Louise yelled, but she kept running.

When we go outside, Antoinette had pulled out a horse from the barn and was riding it out of the Academy. Louise groaned. "Jeez! This girl!" And she ran to the stables.

"I'll follow her on foot." I yelled to them. "Ugh." I groaned as I stretched out my legs. "Antoinette, you're truly one of a kind." I sprinted out the entrance when I was sure I heard the sound of hooves was behind me.

…

I kept my distance from Antoinette so that Louise and Saito would keep close behind me, but would make sure to never lose sight of her. She crossed through the entrance of the land of a very upscale mansion. Antoinette nearly flew off her horse and ran up the stairs. She pounded on the doors like a mad woman, and I had stopped behind her right just as someone answered the door and she ran in.

"Where is the Duchess!" She gripped the maids shoulders, shaking and yelling at the tired maid.

"Antoinette?" I peered through the doorway, seeing that an older woman with lavish pajamas at the top if the stairs.

"Duchess…" Antoinette collapsed on the floor. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disturb your home."

Who I guess was the Duchess ran down the stairs, tightening her robe and kneeled down beside Antoinette. "Oh please, my darling Antoinette, you mustn't. It breaks my heart to see you kneeling before me. This is your just as much your home as it is mine. Now tell me, what are you doing here at this hour? Why aren't you at the academy?"

Antoinette stared up at her and tears flowed down her face. She pressed her hands against her eyes, sobbing and crying like a baby.

Like a peasant mother, the Duchess pulled Antoinette into her arms and patted her hair, cooing her with shh sounds.

"Are you friends of Lady Antoinette?" The maid asked us. Louise stepped in front of me. "Yes we are."

The maid nodded. "Ah! Madame Valliere, welcome, welcome. Follow me, I will prepare tea if you like."

I looked back at Antoinette who was still hysterical in her mother's bosom. I felt as if I was intruding on something precious and I should never have seen my master like this.

"This way." The maid called to me.

After stealing one last glance, I reluctantly followed Louise and Saito to the other room


End file.
